


These Happy Golden Years

by laceandsteelgirl



Series: Captain Australia [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 1930s, Getting Together, Great Depression, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slash, Slow Burn, and steve hasn't realised yet, as slow as i can write it anyway, bucky's so in love with steve, i promise this one isn't an ode to a bridge, that was a one time act folks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-20 04:03:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16548512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laceandsteelgirl/pseuds/laceandsteelgirl
Summary: Seven years after the Sydney Harbour Bridge was finished, Steve and Bucky are still finding their way in the world. Steve is struggling with his feelings and uncertainty about Bucky's role in his life.Basically an Australian AU of Steve and Bucky's life pre-The First Avenger. Will be part of a series of the entire Captain America movie canon reimagined in an Australian setting.





	These Happy Golden Years

**Author's Note:**

> Title after Laura Ingalls Wilder's book of the same name.

Steve turned 21 on January the 26th, 1939. His birthday was a quiet affair, really. He and Bucky invited Becca over to their apartment for cake, and they listened to the cricket on the wireless. The air was hot and still, and the city roared with the noise of Australia Day barbeques. Just Steve’s luck, really, to be born on a national holiday.

 

As Bucky washed the dishes that evening, Steve watched him, idly sketching his profile. They’d come a long way from the street kids of their childhood. After working on the bridge, Bucky was able to get a job in construction, building houses and shops. Steve painted a lot, selling his art and doing commissioned portraits to scrape together enough for art school. He still got in as many fights as when he was a child, but his mother had passed away the year before, and so they were less about defending her honour these days, and more about defending the honour of girls he passed on the streets.

 

“Y’nearly done, Buck?” Steve asked.

 

“Look who’s Mr Impatient!” Bucky retorted. “If you wanted me to finish this quicker y’could lend a hand, yeah?” Bucky lay the saucepan on top of the dishes draining, and dried his hands on his trousers. He grabbed his leather jacket off the back of the couch and ruffled up his hair in the mirror, before turning to Steve.

 

“There, I’m ready. We gonna go?” They were going out to celebrate Steve’s birthday. Bucky had lined up a double date with this girl Alice and her friend Mary, and so they were all going dancing. Steve wasn’t too excited – girls took one look at him and decided he wasn’t worth it. He was still just as skinny and scrappy as when he was little, and his health had only slightly improved, mostly because they’d moved away from the shanty town where they’d grown up, to a better part of Sydney.

 

It was just beginning to cool down as they walked to the dance hall. Bucky was leaping ahead, humming happily and tugging Steve along. He caught sight of the girls waiting for them, standing under a streetlamp and looking down the street for them. Bucky waved and hurried to greet them, but Steve hung back. Bucky had this way with girls – there always were one or two hanging around at any given time, laughing and twirling their hair in his direction – and Steve was just a little bit jealous.

 

Sighing, he went to meet his date, Mary. She was a short girl by normal standards, but she almost reached Steve’s own height. She had pretty brown hair, blue eyes, and… was looking straight at Bucky, smiling flirtatiously. Of course. Steve’s stomach twinged painfully.

 

“Hey, I’m Steve.” He held out his hand, and she took it, but her eyes remained on Bucky.

 

“Mary. Nice to meet you guys,” she said. Looking at him for the first time, a slight expression of disgust crossed her face, but it was quickly replaced with a saccharine smile. It hurt a little, seeing that expression, and Steve looked over at Bucky. To his surprise, Bucky was glaring at Mary, but as soon as he saw Steve watching, he went back to talking to Alice.

 

Offering Mary his arm, they followed Bucky and Alice into the dance hall. The band was playing a lively tune from the corner, and couples were swinging all across the floor; the energy was electric and it made one’s heart stop briefly from excitement (although that probably wasn’t a recommended outcome for Steve, given his weak, arrhythmic heart).

 

Bucky and Alice immediately stepped onto the floor and began dancing, and Mary watched them wistfully. Steve turned to her expectantly.

 

“Would you like to dance, Mary?”

 

“…..Oh. Sure, Steve.” Steve hesitantly drew Mary to an empty area of floor and they started dancing.

 

“So, Mary, what do you do?” Steve asked politely.

 

“Oh, I’m an assistant at the Grace Brothers store in Central, you know, the one on Broadway and Bay Street?” Mary seemed finally to have turned her attention solely on Steve, possibly because Bucky was across the room and out of sight.

 

“How long have you been working there? Do you enjoy it?”

 

“Oh, I’ve worked there since I was 16. It’s alright, nothing special, I guess. And what do you do, Steve?”

 

“Me? Well, I’m an artist,” Steve said proudly.

 

“An artist? That’s not really a good job, is it? How are you ever going to provide for your wife?” Mary let out a shrill, condescending laugh. Steve winced internally. This date was certainly not going well. The song finished, and he jumped at the opportunity – he really wasn’t the best of dancers, and stepping on Mary’s feet probably wouldn’t endear him any further to her.

 

“Would you like me to get you a drink?”

 

“Oh, thank you! Just a ginger beer, thank you. I have to work early tomorrow, you see.” Steve nodded and headed over to the bar.

 

When he turned back around with their drinks, he couldn’t see Mary anywhere. He scanned the room, standing on his toes to see over the bobbing heads of the dancing couples, but… nothing. Alice and Bucky pushed through the crowd towards him.

 

“Oh, Steve, there you are!” Alice exclaimed. “Mary wanted me to tell you that she had a headache and decided to go home early. She’s really sorry.” Alice’s face shone with insincere sympathy.

 

“Oh. That’s okay. But I could’ve walked her home?”

 

“No, it’s alright. She’s getting a taxi so she should be perfectly fine. You’re such a gentleman, though.” Her tone suggested that perhaps being a _gentleman_ was something deplorable, and Steve supposed that compared to Bucky’s bad-boy looks and devil-may-care attitude to women, it was.

 

He sighed heavily. There was really nothing more for him here.

 

“I think I’m gonna head home now, Buck. You stay and enjoy yourself, but I don’t really think tonight’s my night.” Steve turned and began walking rapidly outside and into the night, leaving the drinks behind on the bar.

 

“Steve! Steve! Hey Stevie, wait up!” Bucky called after him, running to catch up. “Steve, I’m sorry it didn’t work out. I really thought the two of you would get on.”

 

“Did you, though? I mean, seriously. How many times have we gone through this before? What’d’ya tell these girls, Buck? That I’m six feet tall and the size of a house? They’re always so disappointed, none of the sheilas I know want to have anything to do with a guy like me.” Steve was practically fuming now. The polite hurt and shock of earlier had worn off, leaving him angry and lonely.

 

“Steve, any girl’d be lucky to have you,” Bucky insisted, stopping in front of him and grabbing his arms. His eyes were so blue and soft in the lamplight, and Steve looked away uncomfortably. Bucky tilted his face back up. “No, look at me, mate. Any girl would be so lucky to have you, you’re an amazing artist and you have the biggest heart anyone ever had.”

 

Steve shrugged. “Sure, whatever you say.” He pushed past and kept walking, but he could feel Bucky’s gaze on his back.


End file.
